Repairing Nail Pops

Nail pops
are an annoying reality if your walls and/or ceilings are drywall. They
are normally caused by seasonal wood movement but can also result from someone
running into a wall or a nail slipping. It's one of the better reasons to
use screws. Fixing the problem is easy:

Items needed:

Drywall nails or screws
Hammer
Screw Gun
Joint Compound
4" knife.

Safety Suggestions and Tips

Wear safety glasses

Level of difficulty

Time Required:

1 hour

Steps

Make a small dent

Step 1:

Use a hammer to drive the nail back below the surface. You should leave
a small circular dent in the drywall. Make sure you don't pulverize the
drywall in the process.

Screw next to loose nail

Step 2:

Now you need to re-secure the drywall to the studs. There are two
methods:

A. (recommended) Place a drywall screw next
to the existing nail and screw it in. The head of the screw should be
just below the surface of the drywall.

B. Place the point of another drywall nail right
next to the head of the existing nail. Drive it down into the circular
depression you created in step one.

Spread compound

Step 3:

Using some joint compound and a 4" - 6" knife, fill
the hole. Work the mud until it is smooth and flush
with the surrounding wall. Inspect the joint compound after it has dried, usually the next day. If
needed, lightly sand and apply more compound.

Finished

Step 4:

After the patch is dry, you should paint it. You can spot-prime it if
you like but if the repair is small enough, this may not be necessary. Be
careful how much you paint. If the repair is in a high-traffic area, you
may wind up painting the entire wall.